Farthest From the Core
by Romanticized Missile Fire
Summary: A young human who thought he'd never love another so fully again. A Tusken who is wandering the Jundland Wastes for his bloodrite. What happens when they meet? OMCxOMTRaider. AU, blood, lime  later , and foreign languages  Huttese, Jawaese , FLUFFY-ISH!


**Yep, I'm trying some Star Wars stuff, too. Hope you guys end up liking this idea, seeing as it seems unique on this site. I really like it! :D But anyways, this is AU (Podracing is still legal, and Luke is a bit of a softy/not-a-whiner), and goes against that whole thing of humans and Tuskens not being compatable, lol. I don't own Star Wars, though I never have an qualms about screwing with it's settings and creatures. :) Enjoy, guys, and let me know if you want more. 'Cause I'm more than happy to provide.**

"Ben, I've just _got_ to say goodbye to some of my friends before we leave."

Obi-Wan smiled wanly at his new apprentice-to-be, nodding solemnly. The young man brightened with a glowing smile, wrapping his arms around the former Jedi knight briefly before racing off toward a collection of small huts on the outskirts Mos Eisley. It had been hard not to notice the pitiful glances Luke had cast in the direction of those little dwellings, the way his eyes seemed to plead to Obi-Wan to let him go for just a bit longer.

Luke ran, smile still plastered on his face, and thought about how his life was about to change. He was going to be part of an ancient religion and the war! Though it was a sad to know he would be leaving everything he ever knew, he realized that there was nothing left for him on Tatooine. Yes, he had his friends, but his family… they were gone now. The closest thing he had to family now was Ben, and Ben needed him elsewhere. After all, Luke knew his friends could live without him. They had to every harvest season anyway, didn't they?

Sitting outside of one of the little huts was his best friend's mother. Her worn, caring face was focused on a small crate of baby Womp rats. Usually, people just ignored the little buggers, choosing instead to use them as target practice or a game of chase, but Lishakke Duskrider was quite the special woman. A former cantina dancer, he found it amusingly confusing that a woman with partial Twi'lek (though she was lacking in lekku for some reason) and Mandalorian ancestry could care so much for anything but her family, but it was a good thing. The infant nuisances had been abandoned by their mother (Luke thought she had probably been killed and served as dinner in one of the cantinas), and the woman had taken them in as if they were her own babies.

"Hello, Luke," she addressed young Skywalker suddenly, not even looking up from her feeding of the Womp rats. "Are you here for Ilario?"

It was always unnerving how she could tell which of her son's friends were about. A small part of him suggested it was Mandalorian instinct, but her simple Human appearance always made him discount such a thought. Being perceptive was natural for some people, Luke not being among those lucky few if that attack from earlier was any evidence, and he smiled at the woman.

"Yes, ma'am. Is he here?"

"In his room, looking over some part he bought from Tosche Station two weeks ago. Go on in, if you like."

Luke thanked her in Mandalorian, causing her to look up at him with a smile. He patted one of the little Womp rats on the head, causing it to trill happily, before entering the little dwelling. It was more modest than Luke's Aunt and Uncle's now destroyed home, but the Duskriders had good reason. Not being moisture farmers like so many other families on Tatooine, they couldn't afford to have even a single droid, let alone anything flashy in their home. Luke knew that Ilario could have afforded a droid from working as a bartender in the same club his mother used to work at… maybe even build a few more rooms to add to the little house, but he instead chose to save up a portion of his wages. Luke had questioned him on his motives, but Ilario had simply smiled slightly at him and said nothing. For now, the oldest child of the Duskrider household only bought little parts for a not existent podracer.

Peeking into the little room- Ilario was lucky enough to have full ownership of it- Luke smiled at the way his friend was sitting on his bed. Legs crossed, spine bent, head down, Ilario was focused fully on the task at hand. Luke didn't recognize the little bit of mechanics, but he hadn't been to Tosche Station to hang with his friends and see the newest parts in stock. It must have been something for one of the professional pods. Skywalker decided he would surprise his friend with a bit of his newly acquired skill.

"_Achuta, sweets patogga!"_

Ilario's head whipped up to look at his friend with a mixture of shock and surprise. His shaggy red-brown hair covered his eyes at first, but flicked them away in agitation, exposing his unnaturally yellow eyes. Recognition dawned on his face within seconds, and he scowled at his friend before hurling an unidentifiable tool his way. Luke ducked and grinned, leaning against the doorframe casually. He jerked a thumb at the item now within the small family dining room, "_Keel-ee calleya ku kah, Ilario. Va foppa gee wontahumpa?"_

The lack of an amused expression on Ilario's face caused Luke to burst out into laughter. He walked into the room and settled next to his friend, smiling as brilliantly as usual. Sulfuric eyes studied him for a moment, the expression not changing for a bit longer than Luke felt comfortable with, before Ilario grinned back. Luke released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"You're an ass for startling me like that, Skywalker," he said, setting the part he had been working on aside and leaning back against the wall next to his bed. "Too bad I missed my one shot at relieving your Aunt and Uncle of you."

A twinge of remorseful anger welled up in Luke's stomach, inducing a collection of tears in his eyes. He looked away quickly, rubbing at the offensive reaction with his dirty sleeve and wincing at the shift he felt on the bed. Ilario was worried about him, as usual whenever Luke was even the slightest bit upset, and was about to console him. "Luke…"

"It's nothing. Just nothing." His lack of eye contact with the young man he had known almost his whole life betrayed his words, and his body was momentarily wracked with shivers at the suppressed emotions. "So what were you working on before I scared you?"

"You didn't scare me."

"That look on your face spoke differently and you know it."

"Luke, what's wrong? I know you're not okay; I've always been able to tell."

Luke glanced at his friend, angered at the veiled compassion in those glowing eyes, and swatted away the hand that rested on his shoulder. He knew his friend understood almost nothing about why Luke hated the Empire so much now, causing anger at the young man to boil. Ilario never had a problem with the Storm Trooper squads, merely ignoring them and saying that even Imperial dogs needed jobs. It was infuriating. "I'm going to be leaving this rock soon. With old Ben Kenobi. We're going to be part of the war against the Empire."

"Oh, wow. Are you sure your—"

"They're dead, Ilario. Storm Troopers most likely, according to Ben. The bastards killed a sand crawler's worth of Jawas as well, trying to stage it as Tusken Raiders. I'm going to kill them, every last one I come in contact with!"

"And how do you think you'll manage all this? You have a single Slugthrower and an old, delusional man on your side." The disdainful skepticism in his tone brought a scowl to Luke's face.

"Ben says I'm a Jedi. My father before me was a Jedi knight, too, and fought alongside Ben in the Clone Wars. He says he'll train me in the ways of the Force, how to use a light sabre, and how to be just as good of a Jedi as my father ever was. I'll kill the Emperor and his Vader lackey, you'll see."

Luke always knew his best friend was a cynical jerk at times, but today had really been the worst Ilario had ever been. "Ah, so now the delusional old man is going to find himself a safe ship to escape Tatooine with his equally crazy little friend. Luke, listen to me. This is all a load of Bantha shit fed to you by an old man who's probably been alive even before your father was born. Why don't you just accept the truth? Nothing can be done about the Empire. Just ignore them, and they'll ignore you."

Young Skywalker studied his friend. A moderately short, slender teen with unruly reddish hair, tanned skin, and striking yellow eyes, Luke couldn't help but stare at him as he thought of an intelligent response. Ilario was handsome enough to be looked upon with favor by some of the females in the different ports, but nowhere near beautiful because of the constant look of disinterest he displayed. Today, he wore a sleeveless, belted tunic with loose leggings and mid-calf height boots; everything was the customary sand and dirt colors, though he still wore a green glass pendant his father had given him before he died. Luke hated how the young man could look so secure in such uncomfortable looking clothing when talking about an uncomfortable subject.

"I didn't come here to get your blessing, Ilario; I came to say goodbye. We're leaving today."

Always one to show only a portion of his emotions, Ilario's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, exposing a fraction more of the sclera. He hadn't expected Luke to still go through with the foolish plan after such a long pause, but that set glare in his eyes spoke much clearer than any body language and silence could.

"And there's no way I could persuade you to stay here?"

"No."

Ilario settled further against the wall, unfolding his legs and letting them dangle off the bed. His whole body felt like a pile of mush, like one does when shot with a stunning blast from a Storm Trooper's rifle. He didn't look at his best friend anymore, instead favouring the interior of his sparsely furnished room. The large pile of podracer parts he had been slowly saving up in order to buy and repair an old racer for Luke's twenty-first birthday. The little section of shelves holding his few changes of clothing and his father old Slugthrower. The sandy colouring of the walls and floor.

He didn't want his friend to leave him alone on Tatooine. Luke had always been the only one who could put up with his unemotional façade and his short temper. Luke was the only one who enjoyed his usually quiet company, who enjoyed arguing with him when Ilario actually found something worth talking about. Luke Skywalker was the only person on all of Tatooine (outside of his family) that Ilario joked with, smiled on a regular basis, and felt he could truly talk to. And now that little bit of security was leaving.

"And if I was to say that I would wander into the Jundland Wastes to be killed by Tusken Raiders if you left…?"

Luke laughed, leaning against the wall next to his friend and smacking him over the side of the head, "Then I'd call you one of the biggest fools the galaxy has ever seen. But you know I would still leave. I have to do this."

"I know."

"And you're not mad at me?" Luke quirked an eyebrow at him, confused by the coolness of his best friend's reactions now.

"How could I be? You're your own man. You can do whatever you please."

"I don't know, I just thought you'd try to be a bit more persuasive."

Ilario caught Luke's eyes and smiled; an honest, handsome expression on the young man's usually neutral face. Luke knew the older Duskrider child could have a wife by now if only he would smile more often. "When have I ever been capable of changing your mind with simple words?"

"Never," he replied with a half-hearted smirk. He would really miss that annoyingly smart bastard. Him and his family who were so similar to him.

Silence ensued for what felt like a millennium before Luke quickly wrapped his arms around his best friend and held him to his chest. He felt Ilario tense at first before reciprocating the hug, his shoulders starting to shiver. They were going to miss one another and might never see each other again. They both knew this could be their last moment together. Silently, Luke prayed to whoever might be watching over the beings of the universe to watch over his friends on Tatooine. Especially Ilario and his family.

"Love you, Skywalker."

"Love you, too, Duskrider."

They parted, and Luke could see the glimmer of tears in his friend's eyes. He smiled, his own blue orbs lighting up with an unidentifiable happiness. "We'll see each other again, you sap. Ben will make sure I'm all but invincible with a light sabre in my hands."

"You better hope so," Ilario said with a small smile of his own, wiping the back of his hands over his eyes to erase all traces of overt emotion. He hated the idea of Luke seeing him for the last time as a weak, pitiful man, "Or I'll find you on whatever planet you'll be on and shoot your ass up with your own Slugthrower."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

Luke slowly slid off the bed, not daring to meet his friend's eyes for one last time. But when he sensed the smaller man sliding off the bed as well, he turned to be met with an onslaught of tears. Ilario embraced his friend harshly, holding him against his own body as he cried into Luke's tunic. "I'm going miss you. You're my best friend, my brother…"

"Like I said, I'll come back. This isn't the last you'll ever see of Luke Skywalker," Luke whispered into his best friend's hair, almost crying himself. He met Ilario's eyes when the young man pulled away and smiled as believably as he could. Ilario returned it with an expression of the deepest grief and fear. "Just don't lose than Slugthrower in case I can't find a ship to come back as quickly as possible."

"Yeah."

"Ben's probably waiting for me," Luke spoke after a few moments of tense silence where he felt himself being stared at by piercing eyes. He didn't look at Ilario again, instead putting a single hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "I'll be seeing you, then."

"Goodbye, Luke."

"Bye, Ilario."

With those parting words, Ilario Duskrider watched the only man he had ever trusted fully with his life walk away from him. With that departing figure, he felt his heart and soul shatter, wondering if he would ever love anyone as much as he loved Skywalker. Ilario doubted it; brotherly love was the strongest love he had ever experienced, and he doubted he could ever find someone who could fill that void. The young man sat on his bed once more. Paying no attention to the small podracer part he had been repairing, Ilario cried.

He promised himself he would never trust another so fully again, because even his best friend was leaving him. It just wasn't worth the heartbreak.

"Ilario, honey?"

Young Duskrider looked up at his doorway to see his mother standing there holding the smallest of the Womp rat rescues. That one had been his favorite from the beginning because it reminded Ilario so much of himself. It never did anything unless it felt it was worth the time, and it was mostly unemotional unless angered or saddened to the point of no return. The little thing seemed to like him, though, for a reason unbeknownst to Ilario, and only seemed truly happy when he saw the oldest Duskrider child.

"What is it, mother?"

"No need to have that clipped tone with me, young man; I simply wanted to drop this little rascal off with you," as she spoke, the baby Womp rat stared intently at Ilario, its tail moving feebly in a way of greeting whenever their eyes met, "And to ask about Luke. He left so quickly; is there something going on between you two?"

"No, mother."

"Then what is it? I can see you've been crying, so there's no way you could successfully lie to me right now. Tell me what happened," his mother said gently, entering the room and sitting next to him on the little bed. The baby Womp rat scurried off her lap and into that of her son's, eliciting a small smile from him when it trilled happily.

"Luke is leaving."

"I saw that, sweetie. He already walked out."

He knew his mother wasn't honestly that stupid; she was trying to draw a real answer from him, something that seemed like he was a normal human being after all, and not just a protocol droid left in place to answer any unwanted questions. "No, mother. He's _leaving._"

"And what's so different about that?"

"This time he's leaving the planet."

Ilario heard his mother's intake of breath and finally met her eyes. She looked surprised, but not worried. In a way, the woman looked a little happy about it. He looked back down at his lap and the little Womp rat snuggled there. "So that boy's finally decided to make something more of himself… always knew he'd fly the coop someday. Are his Aunt and Uncle okay with this?"

"They don't really have a say in anything."

Lishakke glared pointedly at her sun until he met her gaze again. "Don't say such things about them. Just because Luke is almost eighteen does not give either of you the right to think he can do whatever he pleases."

"They're dead."

"E-excuse me?"

"He said that some of the Imperial troops probably did it. Tried to make it look like the Sand People did it."

She seemed to have nothing more to say, her eyes wide in distress as Ilario looked back down for another time. He skirted about the issue by smiling at the now sleeping rascal and running a single finger along a small tusk. "What should we call it?"

"Her."

"Fine, what should we call her?"

His mother finally fixed a smile on her face, deciding to avoid the little problem about family friends being murdered for as long as her son wanted it to be ignored. "What do you think would be a fitting name for her?"

_"Pateessa."_

"Are you sure you want to name her something in Huttese? You've never approved of their language."

"Luke spoke Huttese today."

"Oh," she paused for a bit, studying her son's face. "_Pateessa_ it is, then."

"Yeah."

"I'm going to make some dinner. Come out whenever you feel hungry, okay, sweetie?"

"Okay."

Lishakke walked out of the room, glancing back at her son once in concern. He had always been like his father, covering his emotions with a blank wall, but he was getting worse by the minute. Luke had been the key to his inner person, she knew, and with that boy gone… well, she wondered if she'd ever see any emotion from her son unless it was by accident. Maybe he just needed to get a girlfriend he could talk to. She made a mental note to talk to the other mothers in Mos Eisley and the cities. She wanted her son to be happy, even if it took days of hunting for the right girl.

**Here's some translations of the Huttese I used. Yeah, they might be wrong since I had to revert to Wookiepedia to find my information, but since I make no money off of this, there's no use being perfect, lol.**

_**Achuta, sweets patogga!- Hello, sweetie pie!**_

_**Keel-ee calleya ku kah, Ilario. Va foppa gee wontahumpa?- You disappoint me, Ilario. Does that come with a warranty?**_

_**Pateessa- Friend**_

**Thanks for reading! And if you don't mind, I'd like a review or two to know what you guys want. :3 Merci beaucoup!**


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